The boys’ tennis team arrived at Union City for the James Logan Tournament looking to bounce back after two early-season losses. Two days later, the team left as tournament champions. The team turned a shaky start to the season into a statement win.
The team got off to a rough start by losing against Davis in late February. It was a disappointing first match on paper, but the players still found a silver lining. While it was disappointing, they were still able to enjoy some Raising Cane’s after the match. Senior team captain Brady Adams called this his “favorite moment of the season,” not because of the match result, but because of the chance to bond with his teammates.
After two losses to start the year, the team got back on track with a victory in Union City. Spending two days at the James Logan Tournament, the team put together its best play of the season and emerged as tournament champions. Senior team captain Linus Wirstrom played one singles match on the first day and two on the second day to get the team in front early on, setting the tone for the rest of the lineup. For Wirstrom, the tournament was a confidence boost for the team, showing that their hard work in practice could translate to success against tougher competition. Wirstrom said, “It boosted everyone’s confidence in how well they’re playing.”
Adams played the deciding match against Piedmont that gave the Cougars the win. The team had not won that tournament in a long time and finally got a win. The victory raised expectations for the rest of the season as the Cougars proved themselves.
The momentum, however, did not carry through to subsequent matches. Later that week, the team played against Acalanes and lost. “ It was kind of unfortunate that we lost because a lot of the matches were just really close,” said Wirstrom. The season hasn’t unfolded exactly as the players had hoped in terms of wins and losses, but there is still time for the team to turn things around with matches against their rivals. “I think we have a really strong team, and I think we can do great at DAL and NCS,” said Adams. With renewed confidence and a signature tournament victory already on the board, the Cougars are determined to turn their uneven start into a memorable finish.
